3 players whose spot in the Mets Opening Day lineup can sway the most

3) Jeff McNeil

Brett Baty and Mark Vientos have room to move within the lineup. As far as Opening Day goes, they’re pretty much locked in at the bottom. The amount of movement they can do is quite limited compared to Jeff McNeil.

As always, McNeil will be affected by how others do. If Starling Marte is hitting second, he’ll drop to fifth or sixth. He’s the reciprocal of Marte and a solution for the Mets at the top and middle of the lineup.

Unlike Marte, there is less of a chance for McNeil to hit too low in the lineup. He had a much better 2023 season. The fact that he hits left-handed may make him an option to hit behind Pete Alonso even though he is far from a power hitter. Ideally, we’d see McNeil hitting second but to break up the lefties, we shouldn’t expect him to find a spot behind Brandon Nimmo in the leadoff spot.

Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte, Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, and Jeff McNeil are a safe first five for the lineup to project. They can always get a little more creative with this, though. Lindor, Nimmo, Alonso, and then McNeil have an appeal. Lindor is free to run more. Alonso will get up to the plate with a better OBP guy in front of him. McNeil, the high-contact guy, will see his RBI opportunities increase.

The 2024 year is one to experiment. McNeil will be an important cog in the lineup. Exactly where he finds himself has yet to be determined.